in Summertime

May 3, 2015

My Valley Was Seven Green

Ever since the my valley was seven green joke came out in Cabin Pressure 04X05 Xhizhou, I’ve been thinking about the place where I grew up in terms of my valley being seven green, out of ten. Well, it would probably be more accurate to give it a 4, or a 5, maybe a 4.75, with the two decimals, you know what I mean. But let’s stick to seven.

You’re supposed to idealize your childhood but my valley was not that green to begin with, and then bad things happened. I have to go back two thousand years to find some serious green in my valley. It’s an exercise I do sometimes, but you can’t really tell people that.

Understandably the movie itself, How Green Was My Valley, was shot in California and it was decided to do it in black and white because otherwise the colours of the flowers would have been all wrong. Imagine that. Daffodils of the wrong colour.

Enjoy the transcript from the Cabin Pressure episode.

Douglas: Question and answer, film double bills.Martin: What do you mean?Douglas: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?Gandhi.Martin: OK. Uh… uh… hang on, hang on…Douglas: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?Fight Club.Martin: Oh, you always – you always – you always do this; you always – you always save up loads before you announce what the game is.Douglas: I do no such thing.Carolyn: O Brother, Where Art Thou?Notting Hill.Douglas: Oh, hello; I thought you were asleep.Carolyn: I am asleep.Martin: OK, OK, OK. How Green Was My Valley?Douglas: Yes?Martin: Seven.Douglas: Seven? Your valley was ‘seven’ green?Martin: Yes. Out of ten. I think the scale is implicit…Douglas: Fair enough, OK. Who Shot Liber-